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Decibel Sound Meter

How many decibels is too loud? A decibel levels chart with real examples

For hearing, the usual line is 85 dBA averaged over 8 hours; under NIOSH every 3 dB more halves the safe time, so 100 dBA is allowed for about 15 minutes a day and 110 dBA for under 2 minutes. For comfort and sleep the line is much lower. Decibel Sound Meter shows where your own noise sits.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-17

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Decibel levels chart: everyday sounds

These are the entries of the app's Common Noise Levels reference, found in the Noise Levels screen. They are typical values, not measurements of your surroundings.

The app's reference table
dBSoundCategory in the app
130Jet Engine (nearby)Dangerous
120Thunder / Rock ConcertDangerous
110Power Tools / ChainsawDangerous
100Subway TrainLoud
95MotorcycleLoud
85Heavy TrafficLoud
80Busy Street / Alarm ClockLoud
70Vacuum CleanerModerate
60Normal ConversationModerate
50Moderate RainfallModerate
40Quiet LibraryQuiet
30Whisper / Quiet RoomQuiet
20Rustling LeavesQuiet
10BreathingQuiet
0Threshold of HearingQuiet

How loud is too loud for your ears?

Hearing damage depends on level and time together. The NIOSH recommendation allows 85 dBA for 8 hours a day and halves the time for every 3 dB more, because 3 dB more means twice the sound energy.

Allowed time per day (NIOSH: 85 dBA, 3 dB exchange rate)
LevelAllowed per day
85 dBA8 h
88 dBA4 h
91 dBA2 h
94 dBA1 h
97 dBA30 min
100 dBA15 min
103 dBA7 min 30 s
106 dBA3 min 45 s
110 dBA1 min 29 s

The app's Hearing Safety table shows the same NIOSH values, from 85 dB for 8 hours to 110 dB and above for under 2 minutes. Its caption mentions OSHA, but the numbers follow the NIOSH 3 dB rule. The US workplace limit from OSHA is laxer: 90 dBA for 8 hours with a 5 dB exchange rate, so 100 dBA for 2 hours.

Is 85 decibels loud?

Yes. 85 dB is the app's Heavy Traffic level and the NIOSH limit for a full 8-hour day: fine for a while, not for a whole working day, every day. Dose starts to build from 80 dBA, slowly at first (NIOSH allows about 25 hours at 80 dBA); below 80 dBA, NIOSH and OSHA count none at all.

The meter also puts a word on every reading, so you don't need to remember the chart:

The level words on the Meter tab
Reading (dB)Word shown
Under 30Very Quiet
30 to 39Quiet
40 to 49Soft
50 to 59Moderate
60 to 69Conversational
70 to 79Noisy
80 to 89Loud
90 to 99Very Loud
100 to 109Extremely Loud
110 to 119Painful
120 and aboveDangerous

How loud is too loud for sleep, a baby or an apartment?

Comfort limits sit far below hearing-damage levels. A bedroom in the Quiet band is calm; one in the Noisy band is likely to disturb sleep. For a white noise machine, follow your paediatrician's advice and measure where the baby's head lies, not next to the machine.

Check your own noise

  1. Open the Meter tab and let the reading settle.
  2. Tap the list button to open Noise Levels and find the closest everyday sound.
  3. For a real verdict, tap Start Recording, wait a minute and read AVG, then Stop & Save.
  4. In History, open the session: Noise Level Context names the closest everyday sound and, when the average is 85 dB or more, the safe exposure at that level. An average of 92 dB shows about 95 minutes.

Questions and answers

Is 70 dB loud?
70 dB is the app's Vacuum Cleaner level and the start of its Noisy band. It is below the 80 dBA point where NIOSH and OSHA start counting dose, but it is tiring over hours and far too loud to sleep in.
How long can you be exposed to 100 decibels?
About 15 minutes a day under the NIOSH recommendation, and 2 hours under the OSHA workplace limit. The NIOSH figure is the cautious one for your own hearing.
How many decibels is too loud for headphones?
The same level-and-time rule applies to what reaches your ears. This app cannot measure inside headphones or earbuds, though; it only hears the room through the phone's microphone.
Why does 3 dB make such a difference?
Decibels are logarithmic: 3 dB more is almost exactly twice the sound energy (10 to the power 0.3 is 1.995). Twice the energy in the same time is why the safe time halves.

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